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Bloomin' Baby Names: Top 12 Flower-Inspired Names for Girls

by: Erin Dower

While celebrities like Meg Ryan and Ben Affleck have recently popularized naming babies after blooms, it's far from a new trend. Some flower-inspired baby names date back hundreds of years, and they seem to have staying power due to their natural, feminine flourish. Explore old-fashioned flower names, as well as some up-and-comers that we predict will blossom on baby name charts.

Aster

Ayana

Daisy

Hyacinth

Iris

Lily

Poppy

Susan

Violet

Zinnia

Flora and More

A Poll for Parents and More Baby Name Fun

Aster

Aster is the name of a delicate, star-like flower. The name means "star" in Greek. This flower name hasn't hit the mainstream yet, but with its nice simplicity and similar sound to the high-society family name Astor, it could any year now.

Ayana

With African roots, Ayana means "beautiful flower." It's a nature-inspired name with a happy, creative ring to it. Ayana has never broken into the top 100 names in the U.S., making it an original pick.

Daisy

The literary character Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby helped popularize the name Daisy in the 1920s and '30s. These days, celebrities Meg Ryan and Gavin Rossdale have daughters bearing the name. Daisy was in the top 200 girls' names of 2000-2010 in the U.S., and probably hasn't reached its peak yet.

Hyacinth

You probably don't know anyone named Hyacinth, as the name has never hit the mainstream. But you probably know someone with a related name, such as Cynthia or Cindy. We think Hyacinth — with cute new nickname potential like "Hy" and "Cinthie" — could soon see a spike in popularity.

Lily

Lily has emerged as the modern leader of the pack for flower-inspired baby names. It ranked high on the top 100 baby names for girls in 2011, at number 15. Several celebrities, including Kevin Costner and Johnny Depp, have daughters with this name, and Lily is also a young character on the popular show Modern Family. Notably, Lillian (a combination of Lily and Ann) ranked 25th in popularity for girls' names in 2011.

Poppy

Poppy is the vibrant name that apparently hooked British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver on flowery baby names. After naming his first daughter Poppy Honey Rose, he named his next two girls Daisy and Petal!

Susan

The flower known as the Black-eyed Susan resembles a daisy, but the name Susan has its roots in the Hebrew word for lily. Susan peaked in popularity in the 1950s, ranking fourth in U.S. names for girls, but it — and related names like Suzanne and Susannah — could be due for a comeback.

Violet

Following a lull from the 1940s through the '90s, Violet is on the upswing as a baby name. Hollywood couple Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck famously named their first child Violet in 2005, and a handful of other celebs have followed suit, adding to the star power of flower names.

Zinnia

"Z" names — such as Zuma (Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale's second son) — are a bold choice. So Zinnia, which is Latin for "colorful flowers," could be the next hot flower-inspired baby name for trend-setting parents.

Flora and More

Still can't decide which bloom is the right name for your bundle of joy? Flora, which means "blooming flower" or "flourishing" in Latin, is a classic pick. The stem "Flor" offers lots of pretty spinoff names, such as old-fashioned Florette and possible up-and-comer Floryn.

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